[ic] [hector] Birthday

[lacroix_styles]

For the better part of the week Lacroix had been carrying own his own plans amid the usual background buzz of tasks around Castle Styles, as some things just couldn't be done under the watchful eye of his mentor. Thankfully that had been made easier by the fact that Hector had been hiding away in his room even more so than usual, sneaking around

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[hector_styles]

“I’m afraid any attempt at baking I underwent would turn out quite grotesque,” Hector admitted, slicing and then serving another piece of the cake for Lacroix; this made him feel as if he were doing something useful at least. His words were true, though; while he could manage to cook a steak fine, he had no confidence in his ability to cook desserts; it was much safer to go to restaurants for that, or else defer to Lacroix’s expertise. ...then again, with all the Chips Ahoy cookies and Pop Tarts around the apartment, it was clear that convenience was easier for Lacroix than making sweets from scratch.

But the fact that Lacroix didn’t bake as often made this cake all the more meaningful. “I wasn’t aware you were well-versed in cake preparation,” Hector mused, ignoring that bit about the internet -- even if Hector read up on cake techniques online, he was certain he’d still botch the attempt. Clearly Lacroix had some natural ability.

Hector took a conservative bite of his cake, as if to gauge its flavor slowly instead of just consuming it immediately. And it was good; even if he didn’t come right out and say those words exactly, hopefully Lacroix would get the gist of what he meant anyway. “Perhaps you should take up the hobby more frequently,” he commented; it was easier to say that than ‘this is good; make it again sometime.’

[lacroix_styles]

Convince was a wonderful vice at times; as Lacroix had a healthy metabolism to cater too and if he didn't keep it well satisfied he ran the risk of losing what fleeting muscle he was still working on building; pale and scrawny was entirely not going to happen if he had anything to say about it. Then he would have spent even more time tripping over his clumsy long legs than he already did, and the last time had been a nose dive over the edge of the couch; not something Lacroix wanted to exercise too often.

"I'm tell you man, you can learn anything online, it's amazing." Lacroix noted shortly after downing a bite of cake, a bit baffled by the comment encouraging him to continue what Hector usually wrote off as a distraction more than as worthwhile. But it was the good sort of baffled though, he grinned, a little. "Yeah? Hmn, I'll remember that."

For the moment most everything was right with the world, and there was chocolate too; Lacroix was rather happy, and chatty. "That's what I was going to do," he mused in an offhand sort of way, "I was going to culinary school, or I wanted to. Then I figured out...yeah, I was too broke and my grades in high school were too awful. Eh, I guess things weren't supposed to end up that way; I probably would have still been in school now instead of working at the pawn shop."
Life clearly had other plans for him, and lately it hadn't really seemed like such a bad thing.

"Let me guess, you knew from the start that this was exactly what you were going to do, huh?" Lacroix waved his fork in a general way, 'this' clearly meant to encompass their surroundings and life within the walls of the apartment.

[hector_styles]

“On the contrary, Lacroix Styles has an exemplary school record,” Hector commented after taking another bite of cake. He’d had some help to completely make new records for Lacroix, from a social security number to a high school diploma to an ID; it would have been impossible to get by without such documentation on file. Completely remaking Lacroix’s life was necessary; he didn’t want anyone to find out about Lacroix’s real name.

Culinary classes were hardly harmful, and so long as Lacroix didn’t completely slack on his obligations to learn within the cabal, Hector didn’t see it as an impossible option for the future. Not right now, of course; Hector wasn’t comfortable leaving Lacroix out of his sight long enough for Lacroix to attend classes because Lacroix didn’t yet know any spells that might protect him from an attack. “Perhaps after I’ve taught you a decent number of defensive spells, I will be comfortable with you attending classes if you so desire.” Besides, culinary school would only be a few years; if Hector had his way, that would only be a blip in the potential amount of years for Lacroix’s lifespan.

Hector didn’t precisely like to talk about his own past often, but because it related in a way to his current life, he indulged Lacroix this once. “As for myself, before I joined this cabal, I was a professional ‘ghost hunter,’ if you will,” he explained, though unbeknownst to him, Lacroix already knew more about this than Hector was aware; on those video tapes that Lacroix possessed, Hector had talked about his opinions on why he believed his ghost hunting technology would be far more accurate than any spell-casting. “I spoke on late-night radio programs on the uses of electromagnetic field meters and various haunted locations within the city. Obviously I have moved on from relying on such faulty technology.”

[lacroix_styles]

"Yeah, the problem is he's not entirely real," Lacroix countered; unlike Hector he might have accepted that he couldn't go back to his past but he didn't intend to simply forget the life he had once lived. It was what had shaped him into the person he was, for better or for worse, and there was no way to just walk away from that without losing a part of yourself.

While he was curious at the prospects of life outside the apartment, and having one, Lacroix approached the idea with a hint of humor. "Because there are a lot of man-eating blenders?" He chuckled softly and shrugged, maybe Hector was right to worry so much, maybe not, Lacroix really didn't have the answer to that question. What was appealing though was the fact that it might just have been possible to carry out some manager of almost normal life, even if it might not have been for a while.

"Ghost-hunting, huh?" Lacroix did know more than he let on, yeah, but that was even more of a reason to keep his mouth shut about what he did know, since Hector was entertaining the conversation he didn't want to say something that might bring an abrupt end to it. "But see, that's my point; all of this must have been exciting for you since you were already chasing ghosts. I spent my time trying to avoid them and the weird feelings, I've basically accepted that I can't change it now but it's still hard for me sometimes. Can somebody just be...really badly suited to being what they are?"

That question had crossed Lacroix's mind so many times, what must have come easy for Hector was such a struggle for him; not so much the arcane side of it because he was learning that fairly well if he put some concentration into it, but the flat acceptance and even favorable opinion of death and the morbid side of the world was more of a conflict.

[hector_styles]

It was unfortunate that Lacroix was hesitant around ghosts, but Hector was certain that would change in time. The more Lacroix practiced, the more he would grow used to the dead being around him; even if it took a while, Hector didn’t mind. He was well aware that not every student of magic learned at the same pace, and besides, Lacroix was making exceptional progress thus far.

“You’ve only been living in this cabal a few months; that’s hardly a sufficient amount of time to determine whether you are badly suited to it. At at rate...” Hector gave a little dismissive wave of his hand; he didn’t want Lacroix feeling bad about himself in any way. “...in that short time, you’ve learned to speak with the dead, to view the world around you with the grim sight, to discover the function of obscure objects, as well as having practice with determining the cause of death in vampires and discerning the presence of various materials in the vicinity.” True, Lacroix wasn’t perfect at all of that yet, but it was still impressive for just a few months.

After taking another bite of that cake, Hector added the obvious, “In my opinion, your progress hardly makes you ill-suited to this life.” The nervousness would go away in time; Hector was confident he would make Lacroix comfortable around ghosts eventually.

[lacroix_styles]

Lacroix's uncertainty over his own position in that macabre world was based less on what he could do and more on what he felt comfortable doing, and none of those lessons had been very comfortable thus far; he had to fight with himself almost every step of the way and he couldn't help but wonder if it was that difficult for Hector in the past.
It was something to think about, no doubt. "Ask me again a year from now and I'll let you know if you're right or if I'm still trying not to trip over my own feet around here."

It was mentioned in good humor, since it really wasn't a time to sit and debate anything very heavy topic-wise; Lacroix was just content really to have Hector out of his bedroom and talking to him at all again after his mentor had been absent for several days.
Hector might not have realized it but he was a large part of Lacroix's social and personal life himself; even if he didn't always know what to think of those uneasy powers he was trying to learn to harness he felt more at ease with Hector pointing him the right direction when he was lost. It made it easier to pick himself up after a fall if he knew he wasn't going to mocked for it; that had been a thin line in his past that had lead to more than a little self doubt.

"I guess I do okay though," Lacroix mused while he finished working on his own version of a sugar coma with that cake, "I know I'm a lot better off now than I used to be, that's for sure."

Then, while he dropped his fork back on his plate he added, "And you know you're so going to miss me while I'm gone the next few weeks. You sure you're up to staying here alone though?"

[hector_styles]

"I'm certain in a year’s time your confidence will have grown substantially." It wasn’t an instantaneous process; Hector knew it would take more time to completely adjust to this life, and that was why he wasn’t forcing ideas on Lacroix that he knew his apprentice wasn’t ready for. Beginning with the very basics was key; more complex concepts and spells would come later.

As soon as he finished with his piece of cake, he placed his fork back onto his plate and leaned back into his chair comfortably. Yeah, he was definitely full now. “I suppose I’ll be eating cake for every meal for a while,” he commented calmly; after all, Lacroix was going to be gone soon and he wouldn’t have anyone else to eat the leftovers with -- after all, it wasn’t as if Corbin could eat cake. But it really was good, so he wouldn’t mind over-indulging on sugar for a while. “We should perhaps store the extra,” he suggested; it likely wasn’t a good idea to leave the cake sitting out for too long, nor did he want Lacroix to have to put it away all himself. Lacroix had certainly done enough for Hector today, after all.

[lacroix_styles]

"Frankly you could probably stand to eat the entire thing yourself, you're looking a little paler than is normal even for you," Lacroix pointed out evenly, as Hector was likely very aware of that fact. "You're not going to keel over while I'm gone, right?"
He actually was just a bit worried over that possibility, but checking in with Hector every day would at least help ease some of that worry.

At the mention of clearing the table Lacroix nodded, as he did intend to, but first he wanted to finish while there was still a hint of that festive air to the conversation. "I'll get everything cleaned up, but you have to open your present first."
Oh yes, that was very important; as trying to decide what to give Hector really hadn't been an easy task. That was one of the most important parts of the idea of a birthday though, and it was just downright depressing that Hector hadn't celebrated his in years apparently.

[hector_styles]

“I assure you, I’ll be fine, Lacroix,” Hector insisted, just as he had multiple times before now; clearly it wasn’t so easy to reassure Lacroix about this. Yeah, he did look... rather bad, yes, but by time Lacroix arrived back home, he would be back to normal.

“And you really needn’t have gone through the trouble of getting a gift,” Hector continued, sitting up again so that he could turn his focus to that box; he really wasn’t used to getting presents from people, and he wasn’t quite sure how to react. For now, he just shifted his plate and fork aside in favor of drawing that package closer. He was curious about its contents, but had to ask, “I don’t suppose you’re expecting me to shake it first to guess its contents?” Wasn’t that typical present etiquette? He wasn’t certain.

[lacroix_styles]

"I know, I'm trying to listen; but I'm a little paranoid since the good people tend to die on me and leave me with the worst of what's left," he was a little wary of death in that respect; and illness made him even more wary.

At the notion of shaking that box Lacroix shook his head, "No, you don't want to do that, no shaking." He had faith in Zander's abilities but he didn't want to risk it either; how utterly lame would it have been if Hector ended up breaking his gift before he even had a chance to open it?
A flat travesty, that, so he quickly corrected Hector on the notion; damage control, as it was.

[hector_styles]

“I’m afraid it will take more than this to kill me,” Hector mused idly as he unwrapped that package, careful not to jostle the box too much in the process -- after all, Lacroix had said not to shake it. He didn’t want Lacroix to worry about him dying; he had escaped death these many years, and while he knew he certainly was not incapable of dying, he was experienced enough to have a greater chance of preventing it from happening.

Hector was equally careful about opening the box; if whatever was inside really was fragile, he didn’t want to risk ruining it. And when he did see the clock that was inside, he stared down at it a moment, marveling; he really hadn’t been expecting something like this. The outside of the clock was an intricate ring of raven bones, braided densely together to form a strong outer circle, some bleached white and others dyed black. Four raven skulls adorned the clock at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock, and where numbers usually were on normal clocks, faceted gemstones took their places: opaque black jet and pale gray smoky quartz. The hour hand was white and the minute hand was black; clearly Zander had tried very hard to match the clock with the decor in the living room.

“Quite exquisite,” he said finally, gently removing the clock from the box. “Wherever did you find it?” He assumed Lacroix must have ordered it online; Hector never thought twice about fetching Lacroix’s packages, assuming they were clothes or video games or supplies for the pets, or something else equally mundane. He’d never thought Lacroix would order anything like this.

While it looked solid enough, Hector didn’t want to take any chances; he took a moment to focus on the clock, holding it in his hands to increase its durability with magic. It was a subtle spell, nothing that could be seen with the naked eye; yes, he had planned on not using any more magic, but he felt like he had to now; he didn’t want to accidentally break such a thoughtful gift.

[lacroix_styles]

"You're not supposed to tell people where you get their gift from," Lacroix laughed softly; watching Hector study the clock made him feel so much better now that he knew the gift had been well received. But telling exactly where it had come from wasn't fair, maybe in the case of a sweater or something that might end up returned, but he seriously doubted there was a return policy on a handmade clock like that. "But I didn't really find it, I couldn't find anything that was right for you; I had to do a little creative planning."
So it was a good thing that Hector liked the gift, he did not want to have to tell Zander that he changed his mind; messing with the undead like that seemed downright dangerous.

He would have attempted to make something along those lines himself, but frankly Lacroix knew it just would not have turned out well; he was creative but that didn't mean he was strictly good at exercising that, and Zander had done a very good job on the clock so he was more than certain seeking the vampire out had been the best idea.

Yes, the clock did creep him out a little, but so long as Hector liked it that was all that mattered; one more creepy addition to the decor was well worth the effort when it came to Hector's birthday.
He was just personally glad that birthday was only once a year because Hector was not really easy to shop for; once the holiday season came around Lacroix was bound to be scrambling to think of something else again.

Now he just had to figure out a way to keep Zander from nipping at him, yeah, that might have proved to be difficult, but still a small price for the sake of making certain Hector enjoyed that birthday.

[hector_styles]

Hector hadn’t been inquiring where Lacroix found the clock so that he could take it back; on the contrary, he was curious about what other pieces this artist might make. Zander didn’t exactly flaunt clock-making skills, so Hector didn’t consider that the vampire might be capable of something like this. He was far too used to seeing Zander’s grotesque taxidermy instead of refined projects like this.

“With some rearranging, I do think I’ll find an appropriate spot for it in the sitting room,” Hector replied, carefully replacing that clock back in the box for now; even though he had strengthened it, he still treated it gingerly because it was a gift, and he didn’t want anything to happen to it.

Hector wasn’t really good at voicing gratitude, but he made the attempt anyway because the time Lacroix had spent planning all of this was worth the effort. “I do appreciate your thoughtfulness, Lacroix.” He just... wasn’t used to presents, and he hoped he wasn’t appearing ungrateful, because he really was appreciative. It was just difficult for him to express positive emotion.

[lacroix_styles]

"I'm glad you enjoyed everything, I know I make your life hell sometimes with the complaining about wanting to go out and the grumbling about how unfair life is, but that's just...frustration; you really are my best friend and I really wanted you to enjoy your birthday." Unlike Hector, Lacroix had very little trouble in expressing positive emotions, that spark was still very much alive in him. And that smile was still set firmly on his lips; because he knew that with Hector the uncertain effort meant as much as the exuberant effort from most people.

But since it wasn't easy for Hector, he wasn't going to drag it out and make it awkward for him to attempt to show those fractured emotions. "I better start cleaning things up, I still haven't packed yet, of course; waiting until the last minute. And no arguments, it's your birthday, you're not allowed to do any cleaning."
Playful chiding, since Lacroix couldn't keep Hector from doing whatever he wanted; but did want Hector to just relax and let him worry about getting everything back in order.

[hector_styles]

It was probably a good thing that Lacroix shifted the subject a little. Even though Hector would have continued to try really awkwardly, talking with emotion wasn’t altogether comfortable for him. Despite that, he did feel very loyal and protective toward Lacroix. Hector’s relationship with his own mentor had waned over the years as Hector turned to self-study rather than needing to rely on Ghede. After being alone for years, Lacroix was the one person he saw most often, and he couldn’t help but feel closest to him. Even though they’d only known each other a few months, he already felt like family.

“Once you’re finished cleaning, do return a while to converse,” Hector suggested, agreeably not getting up to help clean. He didn’t have anything in particular he needed to talk about, but he wanted to give Lacroix at least a little more social time before encouraging him to go pack for the trip. It was the least he could do to continue to show his gratitude. In the meantime, he pulled that box closer again so that he could inspect the clock once more; it really was a thoughtful present from an equally thoughtful young man.